Of course, New Bern remains the Tar Heel town closest to Sparks’ heart. So he, his family and his Nicholas Sparks Foundation have set up a Celebrity Family Weekend for April 20-22 in New Bern, and it looks as if it will become an annual festival.

Among other events, the calendar calls for a Nicholas Sparks Film Festival, with screenings at New Bern’s Athens Theatre of several Sparks-based favorites — including an April 20 preview of his latest feature, “The Lucky One.”

You can see Nicholas at a celebrity golf tournament, lunch or brunch with Nicholas, join in a 5K fun run or join in a “Family Fun Night” with a magician, rides, arts and crafts and more.

You can also tour around New Bern, which is a pretty cool old riverfront town anyway. (See where Pepsi-Cola was invented — and where Sparks visualized “The Notebook.”)

Some of the events are pretty pricey. The lunch, at the downtown convention center is $250 per head. (Of course, you also get a fashion show, free gifts from Godiva chocolates and an autographed Sparks book.) The brunch, which is at Sparks’ very own house, goes for $1,250. If you want to join a celebrity foursome at the golf tournament, that;s $6,000 (but you can just watch for $25).

But it’s for several good causes, organizers say. Proceeds from the event are earmarked for Hope for the Warriors, which aids wounded military veterans, and Paws With a Cause, which helps train assistance dogs for folks with disabilities.

A complete schedule, and ticket details are at http://www.sparksevent.org./ Organizers emphasize repeatedly that ticket numbers are limited, so early orders are encouraged.

About This Blog

This is an emporium for all things literary: occasional book reviews, local book news, items about authors (mostly from the Cape Fear area but occasional visitors) and miscellaneous rants.

The usual author is Ben Steelman, feature writer and book columnist for the Star-News. He’s that shaggy, slightly smelly character you spot lurking in the back aisles of your local bookstore. Physically, he has more than a passing resemblance to Ignatius J. Reilly, hero of John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces” — some observers have noted other parallels as well.